1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to all-terrain vehicles. More specifically, the present invention relates to a bracket assembly upon which the air intake shroud, a pair of headlights, and an engine cooling apparatus of the all-terrain vehicle can be mounted.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C illustrate a known all-terrain vehicle (ATV) 101. The ATV 101 includes a body frame 102 formed mostly of pipe members assembled by welding. An engine 125 is mounted on a middle portion of the body frame 102. Front wheels 120 provided with low-pressure tires, i.e., balloon tires, are suspended from front right and front left portions of the body frame 102. Rear wheels 121 provided with low-pressure tires are suspended from rear right and rear left portions of the body frame 102. The rear wheels 121 are supported on rear end portions of a swing arm 129 pivotally joined to a rear lower end portion of the body frame 102 for swinging motion in a vertical plane and supported by a suspension system 132. The front wheels 120 are supported by right and left linkages 130 individually connected to a front lower end portion of the body frame 102 and supported by shock absorbers 133 so as to be able to swing in a vertical plane. The handlebar 122 is operated to control the front wheels 120 for steering.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the front wheels 120 and the rear wheels 121 are driven through a transmission including drive shafts, not shown, and differential gears 134 and 135 by the engine 125 mounted on the body frame 102. Front fender 107 also encloses a pair of headlights 106. The handlebar 122, the fuel tank 124, and the seat 123 are arranged on the body frame 102 in that order from the front toward the rear of the body frame 102. A rear carrier rack 126 is disposed behind the seat 123 and is mounted on the rear fender 108.
The front wheels 120 are covered with front fender 107. The rear wheels 121 are covered with a rear fender 108. A cover 109 is provided on the body frame 102 between the front fender 107 and the rear fender 108 so as to surround the fuel tank 124. Exhaust pipes 136 extend rearward from the exhaust ports of the cylinders of the engine 125 and are connected to the muffler 127.
In the ATV 101, the pair of headlights 106 and the engine cooling apparatus 104 are attached to the body frame 102 of the ATV 101. Further, although not shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, it is known to provide an air intake shroud for the engine cooling apparatus 104.
If the pair of headlights 106 are attached to the front fender 107 of the ATV 101 (as shown in FIG. 1B), then the front fender 107 must be reinforced in order to maintain the alignment of the optical axis of the of the headlights 106. A problem with this approach is that it results in the front fender 107 being heavy. Further, as the reinforced front fender 107 ages, the optical axis of the headlights 106 becomes misaligned.
If the headlights 106 are attached to the frame 102 of the ATV 101, then the headlights 106 need to be attached to the frame 102 in the same general location on the frame 102 as the engine cooling apparatus 104.
In addition, since the engine cooling apparatus and the air intake shroud are directly attached to the frame, assembly of the engine cooling apparatus and air intake shroud become more difficult and time consuming and are not easily removed for repair or replacement. Also, the arrangement of the engine cooling apparatus and air intake shroud when attached directly to the frame provide for inferior flow of air to the engine cooling apparatus and air intake shroud.